Laptops and PDA's at the table... what do you use?

[wedgeski]

Does anyone here regularly use a laptop, PDA, or similar device at the table?

I don't necessarily mean as a fun diversion (e.g. for sound effects) but as your basic, go-to medium for rules and even adventure text. As a replacement for books and (most or all) paper, in other words.

If so, what device do you use?

With the quality of the Compendium, and with the fact that I write all my campaign notes, encounters, and adventures in an on-line wiki anyway, I'm looking for a compact device to use at the table. It must have as a minimum 802.11b/g (wifi) support.

I've tried my laptop, but it takes up almost the entire space available to me behind the screen, and I need something more compact. I figured someone here might have had a similar experience.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I think iPhone or one of its competitors will end up being the killer device for this. (I thought I was done with Palm after my Centro, but have you seen the new Palm Pre? Them's donuts, and me's Homer.)

There are also subnotebooks that should be great for it. Dell was recently running a "buy a PC, get a subnotebook ("netbook") for $99" promotion which a buddy took advantage of, and the device (loaded with Linux) is really sweet for the money.

I use my Centro -- as a player, not a DM -- for access to the SRD and for other docs I've created (like "Standard Adventuring Kits" and "Wealth-by-Level," among others). There are also tools for XP, CR, and EL calculation. And there are some nice dice-rollers.

As a DM, I often use an outliner program to map out adventurers and game-world events, as well as making note of cool ideas for NPCs, PCs, magic items, spells, and so on. Occasionally, if I'm waiting somewhere, I use a word processor on the device to flesh out the ideas. But I don't use my Centro at all at the table as a DM.

I dislike having the laptop on the table, both as DM and as a player. I like that my DM keeps it nearby, because he's pretty good at quickly finding rules with it, but constant reference to it would detract from the game for me. (I also don't like DM screens, and I suspect the reason -- perceived isolation from players -- is similar.) I don't think I would have the same issues with a smaller device.

I think using a device as a diversion is outright rude. We have a player in one game who constantly played games on her PDA, and consequently slowed the game to a crawl because she never knew what was going on or learned the most basic rules and tactics. I snapped at her twice or three times about the disrespect it represented to our DM, and she finally stopped doing it. And -- surprise, surprise -- she's become much more interested in the game and educated in the rules.

 

[wedgeski]

I think iPhone or one of its competitors will end up being the killer device for this. (I thought I was done with Palm after my Centro, but have you seen the new Palm Pre? Them's donuts, and me's Homer.)

You don't find that screen a little small for browsing stuff like the SRD? I actually have an iTouch and I can't imagine using it for this purpose... maybe I should reconsider and give it a fairer shake.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

You don't find that screen a little small for browsing stuff like the SRD?

For "browsing"? Maybe, depending on what exactly you mean by that. (See my thread looking for a better ebook format.) For reference? God, no. It's plenty large and crisp enough.

The Centro is 320x320 in about 1.6 inches square, and the SRD is cake to reference. The iPhone is, what, at least 640x480? It'd be heaven. (I really thought for sure it'd be my next device, once they fixed things like the battery life (although I'm not a fan of the form factor). And this is from someone who's been on the Palm bandwagon for 10 years.)

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I'm currently writing a bunch of Perl scripts for converting wikis (and potentially, other websites) into a format readable by the Amazon Kindle, although I haven't used them extensively yet.

The SRD should be doable with it as well, although I haven't tried that out.

 

[MadMaxim]

I regularly use my laptop when I'm DM'ing because I don't have to print all the NPC stat blocks I usually make (when playing 3.5, haven't tried 4th edition yet) and I can change directly in the document and I use it to keep track of initiative and ongoing effects like spells and the like during combat. It's pretty huge (17" widescreen) but I can't afford something smaller but I'd also like to hear from people who're using a netbook whether it's screen makes text in the SRD and the like unreadable?

 

[Baumi]

Tablet PC with One-Note, a PDF Reder, a good DiceRoller and Internetaccess is awesome for RPG Sessions (as a GM and Player).

A cheap Netbook is a great PDF Reader if you are often on the move, since you might not want to travel with an expensive TabletPC around (to easy to damage it).

 

[Duskblade]

Dice, game books, pad of paper, printed out notes (+ anything else that needs to be quick to reference), mechanical pencil, #2 pencil, ultra fine point sharpie and a permanently lined grid on a raised surface.

 

[Aeson]

I've used my laptop to ask questions here at this board during the game. I don't use it during the game as much but net access at the table is cool.

 

[Duskblade]

I've used my laptop to ask questions here at this board during the game. I don't use it during the game as much but net access at the table is cool.

I've always had bad experiences with computers and tvs in the game room. I am considering getting an analog TV for the game room and leave it uncoonected to the cable service that way it will only be relegated to whats going on in game.